Android Studio 3.0 is ready for developers, bringing Kotlin support

It isn't something we'll all use, but we can all appreciate it regardless.

Google's Android development platform, Android Studio, has hit version 3.0 and is now ready for prime time following an initial announcement back at Google I/O 2017. The headline feature of Android Studio 3.0 is support for a new programming language, Kotlin, to live alongside the existing Java that more people are familiar with. With this new version, developers can automatically convert their code to Kotlin to get started with an app in the new language.

But there's more to Android Studio 3.0 than the new language. It also includes new tools for creating adaptive icons, better managing fonts, writing for Android Things, creating Instant Apps, and more. Android Studio 3.0 also updated its device emulators to include the Google Play Store, a new bug reporter, and a canary version of a quick boot up sequence for the emulators.

There's so much more to unpack in this big update to Android Studio 3.0, and developers can take a look at it all by downloading it from Google's Developer site. The vast majority of us who are out here using Android and not writing apps for it can know that the folks making all of this stuff now have new and improved tools to get the job done.